Climate activists picket African Energy Week over fossil fuel plans

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 13 Oct, 13:08 · Archive

Climate activists picketed the African Energy Week conference in Cape Town on Tuesday, demanding an end to new oil and gas exploration.

Climate activists from Greenpeace Africa and Extinction Rebellion picketed the African Energy Week conference in Cape Town, South Africa, on Tuesday. They called for an end to new oil and gas exploration across the continent and accused energy companies of prioritising profits over people and the environment. Police removed the protesters, who wore T-shirts bearing the slogan 'Make polluters pay'.

Siya Myeza, a climate and energy campaigner with Greenpeace Africa, told the Associated Press that 'Oil companies from overseas have made billions in profits this year alone at the expense of people's lives, at the expense of ecosystems, at the expense of African lives'. Myeza branded the gathering 'Africa Exploitation Week', accusing the industry of driving environmental destruction and poverty.

The protests come as South Africa seeks to expand oil and gas development to attract investment and bolster energy security. The government presents natural gas as a complement to renewable energy, saying gas-fired plants could provide electricity when wind and solar output drops. Despite legal setbacks, British energy giant Shell plans to drill up to five deepwater wells in the Northern Cape Ultra Deep block off South Africa's west coast to explore for and assess oil and gas deposits. Protesters argue that such plans risk prolonging dependence on fossil fuels when countries should be cutting emissions.

How it is being reported

• Environmentalists picket African Energy Week, urging an end to new oil and gas explorationClimate activists in South Africa have picketed outside the African Energy Week conference, demanding an end to new oil and gas exploration across the continent.Clickorlando · 13 Oct, 12:45
• Environmentalists picket African Energy Week, urging an end to new oil and gas explorationClimate activists in South Africa have picketed outside the African Energy Week conference, demanding an end to new oil and gas exploration across the continent.News4Jax · 13 Oct, 12:45

In this story: Greenpeace Africa · Extinction Rebellion · Shell · South Africa · Cape Town · Siya Myeza

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